What are my odds to get in Top 10?! Thank you!

Question

Hi! I am new here and so glad to see that there are many people like myself who want to pursue MBA! I am honored to join this exciting community!

I would like to seek opinions from all of you.. I want to get in Top 10 and below are my credentials. What do you think my odds of getting in? Race: Chinese (was born and raised in China, came here for 1 year of cultural exchange, then college, and then work) GMAT: 760 + 6 Writing (Best scores, took it twice) GPA: 3.9 Cum. at a top 40 liberal arts school Awards: Institute of Management award, economics award (both in college). published an advertising paper on 2 international conferences Work: currently working at a no-name private company (300 million sales) for international sourcing. have been in this role for 1 years, right now managing the sourcing and supply chain for 20 million promotional products for our client. before that, i was the marketing manager for our consumer electronics department for 1 year. So total working years is about 2 years now. I want to apply for Class of 2014 so by matriculating i will have 3 years of work experience. I am not sure about my no-name company experience as i know the top 10 schools like people who are from Big 4 or MBB. My post MBA goal is to open my own marketing and importing consulting firm (using my multinational background). Anyways, any inputs are much appreciated! Thanks again!

SuperMarioVT · Answer

I am no expert but I think you can easily crack into the top 10... Just take the time to write good essays and make sure you get one or two people to revise them especially if English is not your first language... Other than that do some preparation for the interviews you should be all set.. I wouldn't stress much.. You have already completed the hard part ;-)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

redrose521 · Answer

Thank you very much for your support!! Yes I will definitely take my time and write good essays!!

I was just worried because my no-name company experience..

kple12 · Answer

I think you definitely have a good shot at the Top 10 but remember, not all your Top 10's are build the same. Your 760 and GPA are your strongest attributes so there's no question that you can handle the academic rigor of an MBA program. The only weaknesses I see are your lack of work experience and extra curriculars. You're also part of an over represented minority but since you went to college here, I would do my best to accentuate that you're a blend of both cultures. You want to distinguish apart from the really smart chinese stereotype (not that it's a bad thing, it' just a dime a dozen in the applicant pool). If you're intent on going this year, beef up the extra curriculars (if you haven't already) and try to get as much leadership experience at work to show adcoms that the quality of your work experience can compensate for the lack of quantity.

Only other thing I would think is what schools in the Top 10 are you targeting? Not all schools in the Top 10 are built the same as I would say you have a good shot at a NYU but a long shot at Berkeley.

What is your age too? I'm assuming you're about 24-25 based on the years of work experience. If that's the case, I would seriously consider working another year, get some really great extra curriculars, really impact your work place, and shoot for Top 5. You have a lot of potential so really think about it.

redrose521 · Answer

I think you definitely have a good shot at the Top 10 but remember, not all your Top 10's are build the same. Your 760 and GPA are your strongest attributes so there's no question that you can handle the academic rigor of an MBA program. The only weaknesses I see are your lack of work experience and extra curriculars. You're also part of an over represented minority but since you went to college here, I would do my best to accentuate that you're a blend of both cultures. You want to distinguish apart from the really smart chinese stereotype (not that it's a bad thing, it' just a dime a dozen in the applicant pool). If you're intent on going this year, beef up the extra curriculars (if you haven't already) and try to get as much leadership experience at work to show adcoms that the quality of your work experience can compensate for the lack of quantity.

Only other thing I would think is what schools in the Top 10 are you targeting? Not all schools in the Top 10 are built the same as I would say you have a good shot at a NYU but a long shot at Berkeley.

What is your age too? I'm assuming you're about 24-25 based on the years of work experience. If that's the case, I would seriously consider working another year, get some really great extra curriculars, really impact your work place, and shoot for Top 5. You have a lot of potential so really think about it.[/quote]

Thank you for your reply!! My extra curriculars are just volunteering for habitat for humanity and then a lot of company volunteering stuff. In College, i was the treasurer for one of the clubs on campus and organized a lot of cross-cultural events.

I am thinking about applying for my dream schools - HBS, Kellogg, Stanford and Wharton for R1 this year. My backup plan is to work another year at my current position and re-apply. Only one concern though, does re-application not look good in front of adcoms?

And I am 25, will be 26 if I go to school next year.

cheetarah1980 · Answer

Depends on the school. Many people don't get in their first time trying and wind up becoming reapplicants. It works out for some, but it doesn't work out for others. The hardest thing about being a reapplicant is showing significant growth from one year to the next.

You seem to have the basic credentials to get into a top 10 program. Your no name company may or may not make a difference but that's up to you. Contrary to popular belief Big 4, IB, and MBB are not the only (or even the preferred way) to an MBA. The advantage of working for one of these companies is that because so many applicants, students, and alums came from (and eventually go to) these companies it's easy for an adcom to know what to expect from a Deloitte/McKinsey/Bain/etc consultant or a Citigroup or JP Morgan banker. If your company isn't known it's up to you and your recommenders to provide the context for what achievement looks like. Where does your company stand in its industry, how selective are hiring and promotions? Describing these things through your resume, recommendations, and essays can create a fuller picture so the adcom has fewer blanks to fill in on their own (and trust me you don't want the adcom to fill in the blanks. It usually won't be in your favor). If you can show you've made an impact, accelerated faster than your peers, and have been a valuable team member then at most schools you will definitely have a shot. I will admit that some top 10 schools are prestige whores (i.e. they love big names on the resume) but with the right execution you can even get into some of these if the whole package is compelling. You've got the grades and GMAT score. I'm not sure about the work experience, leadership, and personal qualities (because I don't know you). But if you figure out how to package it right and apply to 4 or 5 schools across the top 10 (only ones that you really want to go to though) then I don't see why you shouldn't get at least one admit.

redrose521 · Answer

Thank you so much!! These advices are definitely very helpful in my preparation for my MBA process. I will try my best to deliver a whole compelling package and I do believe working for a smaller company brings me more opportunities - I am managing all promotional products (20M) for our client & traveling to Asia twice a year on international sourcing trips. Thanks again for the valuable advices!

What are my odds to get in Top 10?! Thank you!

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